[Vagino-cytological studies in prostitutes].

Area of Science:

• Gynecology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Previous studies, primarily from Anglo-American literature, reported a high incidence of precancerous cervical lesions in prostitutes.
• The socioeconomic status of prostitutes has been frequently cited as a contributing factor to these findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the incidence of vaginal flora abnormalities and cervical cytologic changes in prostitutes in a South German city with a control group.
• To investigate whether the findings from Anglo-American literature regarding precancerous cervical lesions in prostitutes are applicable to this specific population.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study was conducted involving 239 prostitutes and 502 control patients with similar age distributions.
• Vaginal flora and cytologic groups (using the "Münchner Nomenklatur" modified Papanicolaou classification) were compared between the two groups.

Main Results:

• Prostitutes exhibited a higher prevalence of cocci in vaginal smears, even when otherwise "clean".
• The incidence of Trichomonas vaginalis was five times higher among prostitutes compared to the control group.
• Contrary to some published data, no increased incidence of smears indicative of precancerous cervical lesions was observed in the prostitutes.

Conclusions:

• The study suggests that prostitutes in this South German region do not exhibit a higher incidence of precancerous cervical lesions.
• The findings contradict previous reports linking prostitutes to a higher risk of these lesions, questioning the universal applicability of the "low socioeconomic status" hypothesis in this context.
• While vaginal flora abnormalities are more common, they do not appear to translate to an increased risk of cervical precancer in this population.